A Kensington New Year’s Eve party with over 100 people present resulted in the woman who held it facing a fine of £10,000 for breaching Covid-19 regulations.
The party, which took place at an address on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, deliberately flouted Coivd-19 rules on indoor gatherings, and has seen the organiser being reported for consideration of a £10,000 fixed penalty notice.
Acting Inspector Ganesh Rasaratnam, from the Met’s Central West Basic Command Unit, said: “We are in the middle of a pandemic, and restrictions have been put in place to keep our families, friends and communities safe.
“The organiser, and those who attended, deliberately breached the restrictions and decided that the rules did not apply to them.
“We will continue to take tough action against those who think they are above the law and put others in danger with this sort of reckless behaviour.
“Thankfully, many people across London have put much of their own lives on hold as they do their bit to follow the guidance and reduce Covid infections. The large majority have behaved admirably and should be proud of themselves for helping play their part as we all fight this health crisis.”
Police officers who were patrolling the area noticed a group of people outside trying to enter the party around 11:30pm and dispersed them.
However, when officers attempted to gain entry to the property to break up the gathering that appeared to be going on inside, they were refused entry.
After multiple attempts to engage with the party’s organiser, officers returned to the property on Monday, to inform the organiser that they had been referred for the maximum possible fixed penalty notice.
London was in Tier 4 at the time of the party, which meant that all indoor gatherings were prohibited.
Any sort of New Year’s Eve party would breach the Health Protection Relations 2020, with fines starting at £100 and going up to the £10,000 fine that the woman from Kensington now faces.
You could read the latest coronavirus regulations here.
